We usually have our reviews written within 24 hours of our dining experience. It’s now day 4 since our Dumpling Inn experience and none of us are fighting to get to the laptop.
On Saturday we checked out Yum Cha at the Dumpling Inn, Jamison. We thought we would wade into the debate on where to experience this joy of steamed and fried Asian delicacies, but in some ways are living to regret the decision..
It’s not that the food was outright horrible it was just a bit uninspiring.
We arrived right on 11.45 am on Saturday which is when the restaurant opens for Yum Cha. Admittedly it probably didn’t help matters that for a good part of our meal we were the only ones in the restaurant which didn’t add to the atmosphere. Although, sometimes when you’re in a not-busy restaurant the service is lousy, but this wasn’t the case here. The staff were attentive and friendly, although we felt a bit like we were disappointing them when we knocked something back – there were a lot of options!
We were offered a virtual steam train of dumplings, spring rolls, prawn rolls and Asian greens, which took up most of our table quickly. We all agreed the spring rolls and fried prawn rolls were excellent – crispy pastry with delicious interiors. The Asian greens hit the spot too. The steamed pork buns (one of our usual favourites) looked great, but unfortunately the bun to filling ratio was too great and they were very doughy as a result.. The steamed prawn rolls with soy were good, although the rice paper wraps were a bit thick. Bean curd with prawn had perhaps a bit much bean curd for the prawn, needing a lot of sauce to absorb any flavour.
By the time we left the restaurant the Dumpling Inn was nearly full and buzzing.
The obligatory visit to the ladies room revealed a very clean set up although they had run out of paper towel.
We left with full bellies at about $25 per head, which was pretty good value. The restaurant was clean and the Chinese tea was pretty good, but overall it didn’t float our boats.
And so our search for a good Yum Cha continues.
The Dumpling Inn, 1/1 Lawry Place, Macquarie ACT 2614